A bill passed by the state Legislature that changes how UW System Board of Regents representatives are selected prompted two legislators to send a letter to Gov. Jim Doyle urging him to veto the bill.
The bill splits the state into seven districts and requires at least one regent from each district.?If signed by Doyle, the bill will go into effect in 2015, when most of the current regents’ terms will be up.
Sen. Julia Lassa, D-Stevens Point, and Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, R-River Falls, sponsored the bill. They proposed it due to beliefs representatives from southeastern Wisconsin dominate the Board of Regents.?
Currently, 12 of 18 regents are from Dane or Milwaukee County, according to the Board of Regent’s website.
?Sen. Robert Jauch, D-Poplar, and Rep. Nick Milroy, D-Superior, co-signed the letter in opposition to the bill. They believe it is not in the best interest of the University of Wisconsin System and Board of Regents.?
Jauch said the bill was rushed through the Legislature before it could properly be examined and debated.
“There are some serious adverse consequences from creating regional regents who will be expected by their local officials and others to be the voice of the campus they represent rather than an advocate with the best interest [of] each campus and every student in the state,” Jauch said.
He added it is a myth regents only represent the interests of southeastern Wisconsin, and the system works well now by making sure they represent even the smallest campus.
?Jauch was concerned with forcing the governor to pick regents from certain regions, as qualified candidates might be overlooked.
“Regents should be the most prestigious appointment in the state, and the nominees should be highly qualified, should be bright and should be committed to understanding the connections of the UW System throughout the state,” Jauch said.?
Milroy, who is from Superior, said he thought the bill was not good for the state or for the region he represents.
“By going to a regional approach, I think that it could cause some dissidence amongst regents and amongst regions of the state,” Milroy said. “You are going to have regents who feel obligated to advocate on behalf of certain campuses in their regions, and I think that’s going to leave some people on the short end of the stick.”
The bill passed in the Assembly Nov. 5, 59-34 with six representatives not voting. The Senate also passed the bill on the same day by a large margin.?
